Birds and taxes

Lying in bed this bank holiday morning, listening to the soothing sounds of the dawn chorus, my thoughts turned to taxes. I guess that, with the UK election just days away, the topic is pretty much in the air. Will taxes go up? Will they go down? Will they be abolished?

Whilst that last one was a joke, I think it would be a far worse world if we didn’t have taxes. I go as far as to say that I actually like the idea of our paying taxes.

We too easily see the downside as we put through the money transfer to HMRC, or look aghast at our payslip, as we notice the hole in our hard earned income.

We far less often take a step back to look at what those taxes provide us with. I won’t list them, but it is substantial.

Having said all this, I do have three issues:

That individuals and corporates all do their bit to contribute – which is also about the system being tight enough to ensure this. I must admit to being guilty of trying to be as tax efficient as possible within the current system. Nevertheless, a significant portion of my income finds its way into the public coffers each year.

That our taxes are wisely spent. This, for me, is a huge bone of contention, given how much of OUR money is wasted or channeled into ill conceived and even dubious schemes and initiatives.

That any tax is a fair one, as opposed to one levied on vital items or that hits the less fortunate in society.

This coming Friday, I am having an eye operation at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. This will be my fifth. In return for contributions made to the public purse, I have access to the top eye hospital in the world and the expertise it offers without having to fork out the significant amount such an op must cost.

I’m feeling exceedingly grateful for that on this spring bank holiday, just as I’m equally grateful for the sound of that dawn chorus each morning.